JP5319719B2 - Haptic feedback sensation based on audio output from computer equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Triggering haptic sensations based on sound output from a computer device. A portion of sound data is stored that is output to a user as audio from an application program running on a computer. The portion of sound data is analyzed using intelligent heuristics to extract at least one sound feature from the sound data. The execution of at least one haptic effect is triggered based on the sound feature, where the haptic effect is commanded to the haptic feedback device approximately correlated to the output of the portion of sound to the user as audio. The haptic effect causes a haptic sensation to be output to the user. Different haptic effects can be associated with different sound features, frequency ranges, amplitudes, etc.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to a system that allows a human to interface with a computer system, and more particularly to provide haptic feedback to a user interfacing with one or more computer applications including sound output. Regarding the method.

  Users interact with the environment displayed by the computer, play games on the computer, experience a simulation or virtual reality environment, use a computer-aided design system, operate a graphical user interface (GUI), and navigate web pages. Can perform functions and tasks such as gating. Typical human-computer interface devices used for such interactions are mice, joysticks, trackballs, gamepads, remote controls, steering wheels, styluses, tablets, pressure sensitive devices that communicate with computer systems that control the computer environment. Includes spheres or the like. The computer updates the environment in response to physical manipulatory user operations such as joystick handles, buttons, or mice, and utilizes a display screen and audio speakers to provide visual and audible feedback to the user . The computer senses a user operation on the user object through a sensor provided in an interface device that transmits a position signal to the computer.

  In some interface devices, kinesthetic force feedback and / or tactile feedback is also provided to the user, more commonly known herein as “tactile feedback”. These types of interface devices can provide a physical sensation experienced by a user manipulating user interface of the interface device. One or more motors or other actuators are coupled in a manipulantly manner and connected to a control computer system. The computer system controls the force of the manipulandum in conjunction with and in coordination with the computer event by sending control signals or commands to the actuator. Thus, the computer system can convey a physical force sensation to the user along with other supply feedback when the user is gripping or touching the interface device or an operable object of the interface device.

  Auditory feedback provided to the user is an intrinsic part of many application programs, especially games. Some existing haptic feedback devices are designed to provide haptic sensations directly based on sound output from a computer. The sound output waveform is sent directly to the interface device so that the tactile sensation such as vibration is directly based on the sound output waveform or its filtered portion, similar to the way the speaker operates.

  A weakness of existing haptic sensations based on direct sound waveforms is that haptic sensations are simple effects based directly on sound signals. The sound signal is not evaluated or processed prior to sending the signal to the haptic device. Since not all of the sound output is suitable for direct conversion to a tactile sensation, this can lead to the result of outputting an undesired or embarrassing haptic sensation to the user.

  An object of the present invention is to trigger an output of a tactile sensation based on a sound output from a computer device. The tactile sensation output is intelligently triggered by analyzing the characteristics of the sound data, allowing an improved user experience.

  More particularly, the interface device of the present invention provides a method for triggering a haptic sensation from sound features detected in a sound output from a computer, the haptic sensation being output to a user of a haptic feedback device in communication with the computer. be able to. A portion of the sound data is stored and output to the user as audio from an application program running on the computer. Sound data is stored in a memory buffer of the computer. In order to extract at least one sound feature from the portion of the sound data, the portion of the sound is analyzed using intelligent heuristics. The execution of the at least one haptic effect is triggered based on the sound feature, and the haptic effect is commanded to a haptic feedback device that is substantially correlated to the output of the portion of the sound to the user as audio. The haptic effect causes the user to output a haptic sensation.

  The triggered haptic sensation is preferably assigned to a sound feature found in the sound data. In some embodiments, analyzing the portion of the sound data may include processing the sound data into a plurality of different frequency ranges and searching for sound features in each frequency range. For each frequency range, if a sound feature is present in that frequency range, a haptic effect can be triggered. A filter can be applied to the sound data, or a fast Fourier transform can be used. Each frequency range can be associated or mapped with a different tactile sensation. For example, periodic tactile sensations having different frequencies can be associated with each frequency range. Other types of haptic sensations can be mapped or associated with sound features so that the output of these sound features can trigger them.

  The present invention advantageously allows tactile feedback to be output by a computer system executing an application program having sound output. The present invention intelligently assigns haptic sensations to features in sound data and provides haptic feedback related to the event in the application program that caused the sound output. This results in an overall improvement in the user experience of haptic feedback based on sound output.

  These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following specification of the invention and studying the several figures of the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a haptic feedback system suitable for use with the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a mouse embodiment of a haptic feedback device suitable for use with the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of the method of the present invention for producing a haptic effect that is output as a haptic sensation based on provided sound data. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of the steps of FIG. 3 for processing and analyzing sound data stored in a buffer. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of the steps of FIG. 3 for processing and analyzing sound data stored in a buffer.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 10 suitable for use with the present invention, including a haptic feedback interface device 12 in communication with a host computer 14.

  The host computer 14 preferably includes a host microprocessor 20, a clock 22, a display screen 26, and an audio output device 24. The host computer also includes other well known components such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and input / output (I / O) electronics (not shown). The host computer 14 is a computing device that can take a wide variety of forms. For example, in the described embodiment, the computer 14 is a PC compatible computer or Macintosh personal computer, or a personal computer or workstation such as a Sun or Silicon Graphics workstation. Such a computer 14 can operate under Windows®, MacOS®, Unix®, MS-DOS, or other operating systems. Alternatively, host computer 14 is one of a variety of home video game console systems that are typically connected to a television set or other display device, such as systems available from Nintendo, Sega, Sony, or Microsoft. It can be one. In other embodiments, the host computer system 14 may be a “set top box”, “network”, or “Internet computer”, portable computer or gaming device, consumer electronics (such as stereo components), (personal digital assistant) PDA, etc. It can be.

  The host computer 14 preferably implements a host application program that allows the user to interact through the device 12 and other peripheral devices as appropriate. In the context of the present invention, a host application program is a digital audio editing program, as will be described in further detail below. Other application programs that utilize the input of device 12 and output haptic feedback commands to device 12 may also be used. The host application program preferably utilizes a graphical user interface (GUI) to present options to the user and receive input from the user. This application program can include the haptic feedback functionality described below, or the haptic feedback control can be implemented in another program running on the host computer, such as a driver or other application program. Here, the computer 14 can be said to present a “graphical environment”, which can be a graphical user interface, game, simulation, or other visual environment. The computer displays “graphical objects” or “computer objects”. They are not physical objects, but a logical software unit set of data and / or procedures that can be displayed as an image on the display screen 26 by the computer 14, as is well known to those skilled in the art. A suitable software driver for interfacing software with a haptic feedback device is available from Immersion Corporation of San Jose, California.

  The display device 26 can be included in the host computer system 14 and can be a standard display screen (LCD, CRT, flat panel, etc.), 3D goggles, a projection device, or other video output device. The display device 26 displays an image commanded by an operating system application, simulation, game, or the like. An audio output device 24 such as a speaker provides sound output to the user. In the context of the present invention, other audio-related devices such as stereo receivers, amplifiers, etc. can be connected to the host computer. Other types of peripheral devices such as storage devices (hard disk drives, CD ROM drives, floppy disk drives, etc.), printers, and other input / output devices may also be connected to the host processor 20.

  A haptic feedback interface device 12 such as a mouse, knob, gamepad, trackball, joystick, remote control unit, PDA screen, etc. is connected to the host computer system 14 by a bidirectional bus 30. The bidirectional bus transmits signals in either direction between the host computer system 14 and the interface device. The bus 30 can be a serial interface bus such as RS232 serial interface, RS-422, Universal Serial Bus (USB), MIDI, or other protocols well known to those skilled in the art, or a parallel bus or wireless link. can do. Some interfaces may also provide power to the actuators of device 12.

  The device 12 can include a local processor 40. A local processor 40 can optionally be included within the housing of the device 12 to allow efficient communication with other components of the mouse. The processor 40 may comprise software instructions for waiting for a command or request from the computer host 14, decoding the command or request, and processing / controlling input and output signals in accordance with the command or request. In addition, the processor 40 reads the sensor signals and calculates the appropriate force or command from these sensor signals, time signals, and stored or relayed instructions selected according to the host command, thereby deducing the host computer 14. Can work independently. Suitable microprocessors for use as local processor 40 include, for example, MC68HC711E9 by Motorola, PIC16C74 by Microchip, and 82930AX by Intel, as well as more powerful force feedback processors such as immersion touch sense processors. is there. The processor 40 may include a single microprocessor chip, multiple processors and / or coprocessor chips, and / or digital signal processor (DSP) functionality.

  Microprocessor 40 can receive signals from sensor 42 and provide signals to actuator assembly 44 in accordance with instructions provided by host computer 14. For example, in a locally controlled embodiment, the host computer 14 provides high level monitoring commands to the processor 40 over the bus 30 and the processor 40 decodes the commands independently of the host computer according to the host computer 14 high level command commands. Manage low level force control loops to sensors and actuators. This operation is described in detail in US Pat. Nos. 5,739,811 and 5,734,373, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In the host control loop, a force command from the host computer instructs the processor to output a force or force sensation with specified characteristics. The local processor 40 reports location and other sensor data to the host computer, which uses it to update the execution program. In the local control loop, actuator signals are provided from the processor 40 to the actuator 44, and sensor signals are provided from the sensor 42 and other input devices 48 to the processor 40. The processor 40 can process the input sensor signal and determine an appropriate output actuator signal by following the stored instructions. Here, the term “tactile sensation” or “tactile sensation” refers to either a single force or a series of forces output by an actuator that provides a sensation to the user. The term “haptic effect” generally refers to commands, parameters and / or data sent to the device that define the haptic effect, which is output to the user as a force by the device. Bring.

  In yet another embodiment, other simpler hardware can be provided locally to the device 12 to provide functionality as the processor 40. For example, a hardware state machine or ASIC incorporating fixed logic is used to provide a signal to the actuator 44, receive a sensor signal from the sensor 42, and output a tactile signal according to a predetermined sequence, algorithm, or process. be able to.

  In different host control embodiments, the host computer 14 can provide a low level force command over the bus 30, which is transmitted directly to the actuator 44 via the processor 40. The host computer 14 thus directly controls and processes all signals to or from the device 12. In a simple host control embodiment, the signal from the host to the device can command the actuator to output a predetermined frequency and magnitude force, or includes magnitude and / or direction. Or a simple command indicating the desired force value to be applied over time.

  A local memory 52 such as RAM and / or ROM is preferably connected to the processor 40 in the device 12 for storing instructions for the processor 40 and for storing temporary data and other data. For example, a series of stored force values that can be output by the processor or a force profile such as a look-up table of force values output based on the current position of the user object can be stored in the memory 52. . In addition, a local clock 54 can be connected to the processor 40 to provide timing data similar to the system clock of the host computer 14. The timing data is needed, for example, to calculate the force output by the actuator 44 (eg, a force that depends on the calculated speed or other time-dependent factors). In embodiments that use a USB communication interface, timing data for the processor 40 can alternatively be retrieved from the USB signal.

  The sensor 42 senses the position and movement of the device and / or manipulandum and provides a signal containing information representative of the position or movement to the processor 40 (or the host 14). Sensors suitable for detecting operations include digital optical encoders, optical sensor systems, linear optical encoders, potentiometers, optical sensors, speed sensors, acceleration sensors, strain gauges, or other types of sensors Either a relative sensor or an absolute sensor can be provided. An optional sensor interface 46 can be used to convert the sensor signal into a signal that can be interpreted by the processor 40 and / or the host 14.

  Actuator 44 outputs a haptic sensation by transmitting force to the housing of device 12 or one or more manipulandum 60 in response to signals received from processor 40 and / or host computer 14. The actuator 44 can be any of many types of actuators including DC motors, voice coils, pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, active actuators such as torquers, piezoelectric actuators, moving magnet actuators, or passive actuators such as brakes. can do.

  An actuator interface 50 can optionally be connected between the actuator 44 and the processor 40 to convert the signal from the processor 40 into a signal suitable for driving the actuator 44. Interface 50 may include power amplifiers, switches, digital analog controllers (DACs), analog digital controllers (ADCs), and other components, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Another input device 48 is included within the device 12 and sends input signals to the processor 40 or the host 14 when operated by the user. Such input devices can include buttons, scroll wheels, d-pads, dials, switches, or other control devices or mechanisms.

  A power supply 56 connected to the actuator interface 50 and / or the actuator 44 may optionally be included in the device 12 or provided as a separate component to provide power to the actuator. Alternatively, power can be drawn from a power source that is separate from the device 12 or received via the bus 30. Some embodiments can use a power storage device in the device (as described in US Pat. No. 5,929,607, incorporated herein by reference) to ensure that peak force can be applied. . Alternatively, this technology can be used for wireless devices, in which case battery power is used to drive the tactile actuators. A safety switch 58 may optionally be included to allow the user to stop the operation of the actuator 44 for safety reasons.

  Many types of interfaces or controllers can be used with the invention described herein. For example, such interface devices include tactile feedback trackballs, joystick handles, steering wheels, knobs, handheld remote control devices, gamepad controllers for video games or computer games, styluses, grips, wheels, buttons, mobile phones, PDAs, A touchpad, or other operable object, surface or housing may be included.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a mouse embodiment 100 of the device 12 suitable for use with the present invention.

  Mouse device 100 includes a housing 101, a sensing system 102, and an actuator 104. The housing 101 is shaped to fit the user's hand like a standard mouse while the user moves the mouse within planar freedom and operates the button 106. In many different embodiments, other housing shapes can be provided.

  The sensor 102 detects the position of the mouse within its planar degrees of freedom, for example along the X and Y axes. In the described embodiment, the sensor 102 includes a standard mouse ball 110 to provide directional input to the computer system. Alternatively, optional sensors or other types of sensors can be used.

  Mouse device 100 includes one or more actuators 104 to provide tactile feedback, such as tactile sensation, to a mouse user. Actuator 104 is connected to housing 101 to provide tactile feedback to the user. In one embodiment, the actuator is connected to an inertial mass that is moved by the actuator. The inertial force generated by the motion of the inertial mass is applied to the mouse housing relative to the inertial mass, thereby delivering tactile feedback, such as haptics, to the user touching the housing. In some embodiments, the actuator itself can move as an inertial mass. Such embodiments are described in more detail in US Pat. No. 6,211,861 and US application Ser. No. 09/585741, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Other types of interface devices such as gamepads, handheld remote controls, cell phones, PDAs, etc. can include actuators for inertial haptics.

  Other types of interface devices and actuators can also be used with the present invention. For example, a gamepad, mouse, or other device can include an eccentric rotating mass coupled to the axis of rotation of the actuator to provide an inertial feel to the device housing or manipulandum. Other types of haptic devices such as joysticks, knobs, scroll wheels, gamepads, steering wheels, trackballs, mice etc. can provide kinematic force feedback, the force is manipundant perceived freedom Is output. For example, embodiments of kinesthetic mouse haptic devices are disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 6,100,904 and 6,166,723, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Sound Output with Tactile Feedback The present invention improves the user experience of tactile sensation output coordinating with the sound output of one or more application programs (or other programs) running on a host computer.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a haptic effect for output to a haptic feedback device based on sound signals or data output by a host computer, which is output to the user as a haptic sensation. In some alternative embodiments, haptic effects may be provided as well based on features or data in a sound signal input to the computer system, for example from a microphone or audio device. Temporal features and characteristics of the sound are identified and mapped or associated with a predetermined haptic effect. Tactile sensations based on these haptic effects can be immediately performed by the haptic feedback device 12 or stored in memory to form a “tactile profile” of any sound. The method of the present invention not only sends the sound signal directly to the haptic device for output as a haptic sensation, as is done in the prior art, but also associates various high level haptic sensations with various high level sound features, Use the feature to trigger the appropriate tactile sensation output.

  An important advantage of the present invention is that a powerful tactile sensation in the application program, such as a program that outputs sound for various events in the game, without the need for the software application developer to spend time programming the haptic effect in the program It is to bring a sense. Thus, any off-the-shelf game program can be easily combined with a haptic feedback device, regardless of whether the game includes code that controls the haptic device or whether it is only developed for a non-tactile feedback device. , Enabling a more interactive and immersive experience for users with a wide range of programs. Furthermore, the present invention roughly distinguishes the types of sound effects and associates different events with different haptic sensations, allowing a richer experience for the user.

  In one embodiment, a low level driver program running on a host computer performs the method of the present invention. In other embodiments, other levels of software running on the host (or microprocessor of the haptic feedback device) can perform some or all of the features or steps of the invention (application programs, APIs, etc.). ). Program instructions for carrying out the invention can be stored as hardware (eg, logical components) or as software stored on a computer readable medium such as an electronic memory, magnetic disk, optical disk, magnetic tape, or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a first embodiment 200 of the method of the present invention for providing a haptic effect output as a haptic sensation based on given sound data or sound signals. The method begins at 202 and, at an optional step 204, a haptic effect is commanded to the device but is not output to the user. For example, the haptic device 12 can include a local memory that allows the device to store data for a number of different haptic effects. A haptic effect residing in the memory of the device can be performed when a host command is received or based on other conditions (eg, a predetermined time has elapsed). The data sent to the device can include parameters for haptic effects. For example, in the case of a periodic vibration effect, the parameters can include frequency, duration, and magnitude. The effect can be loaded into the device at step 204, and in some embodiments, in preparation for instructing a higher magnitude at a later step, for example, can be instructed to run at a magnitude of zero. Step 204 is most suitable for embodiments where the same set of tactile sensations is always output to the user. In other embodiments, haptic effects can be commanded when they are output to the user.

  In a next step 206, sound data is received from an application program or other software layer or program running on the host computer, or alternatively directly from an external audio device. The sound data is preferably digital data, which can be any standardized format, such as digital sound samples such as MIDI, wav files, mp3 files, etc. The sound data is received at step 206 when it is also sent to an audio output device such as a speaker and output as sound to the user. In general, sound data may be used for game sound effects that occur as a result of game actions or events, music in a game or other application program that is played after a game start or other event occurs, graphical user interface Generated by the application program from sound events that occur in the application, such as an interactive alarm sound, performance of music from a CD or DVD, or other sound events. In the described embodiment, the sound data received and analyzed in this step is currently being output to the user by the speaker. Therefore, the sound data has already been output to the user by the time when the sound data is processed and a tactile sensation is output as described later. However, since a small amount of sound data is stored, there is only a millisecond delay between the sound and the tactile output that cannot be recognized by the user. In other embodiments in which the sound data output is known in advance, the haptic sensation can be output simultaneously or nearly simultaneously with the sound data that triggers the haptic sensation.

  In step 208, the received predetermined amount of sound data is stored in a temporary buffer in the memory of the host computer 14. In one embodiment, this is a sufficiently large amount of data to allow meaningful processing and analysis while being reasonably small enough to be quickly processed and associated with a tactile sensation. In one embodiment, a portion of sound data comparable to about 10 ms is stored, but in other embodiments different amounts can be stored. For example, DirectSound on the host computer or other sound capture API can be used to digitally record sound into 10 ms segments.

  At step 210, the stored sound data is processed and analyzed to identify specific sound characteristics or features designated as being relevant to determining which haptic sensation is to be output. That is, these sound features act as cues that trigger the output of tactile sensations. In a broad sense, the present invention uses intelligent heuristics to extract sound features that are likely to be meaningful in an application program, and such sound features are represented by the extracted sound features and these features. Relate to a pre-determined, pre-programmed haptic sensation that closely matches the likely event. For example, events that are likely to be many current video game applications include bombs, grenades, missile explosions, fire of weapons such as guns or rocket guns, vehicle collisions, flapping footsteps, sounds of objects jumping into the water, This may be a warning sound or the like for warning the player of some game event. These events may have specific sound characteristics that can be recognized from sound data received after appropriate analysis.

  A wide variety of methods can be used to process the data. Some embodiments are described below with respect to FIGS. These particular embodiments perform processing on the sound data to divide the waveform represented by the sound data into a number of different frequency ranges in accordance with the present invention. Each frequency range sound can be analyzed separately for specific sound characteristics. This division of frequency ranges has the advantage that sounds often occur in different frequency ranges based on the event that triggered the sound. For example, an explosion in a game may have a low frequency sound, while a gunfire may have a higher frequency sound. Event types can thus be roughly distinguished based on the frequency range in which the sound is located, and different haptic effects can be commanded and output as described below.

  Once the sound data is processed and analyzed, in the next step 212, haptic commands are output to the haptic device and a haptic sensation is output to the user operating the device. The haptic command is triggered at step 210 based on any sound features found in the sound data, if any. Intelligent heuristics can be used to assign different haptic sensations to different types of sound, for example based on the frequency of the sound or other characteristics of the sound. The haptic command initiates or causes the device-resident haptic effect to begin executing at the commanded magnitude. In one embodiment, the haptic effects already resident in the device's memory from step 204 are modified with new parameters or data appropriate to achieve the desired haptic sensation. Alternatively, a new haptic effect can be created and commanded to be immediately output by the device as a haptic sensation. As explained above, the haptic sensation resulting from the command should be output shortly after the associated sound features are output as audio, but preferably fast enough so that the user cannot recognize the delay. Can do.

  In one embodiment, the commanded haptic sensation can be set to a magnitude that is proportional to the magnitude of the sound data in the associated frequency range. For example, in the embodiment discussed in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5, the sound data is filtered or organized into five different frequency ranges. Each of these frequency ranges can have a different haptic sensation associated with it. For example, available inertial tactile feedback mice are used to associate periodic haptic effects of different frequencies with each frequency range. Thus, for example, a periodic haptic effect having a haptic frequency of 62 Hz (eg, at or near the first resonant frequency of a haptic device that causes a high magnitude sensation) is associated with a first sound frequency range (eg, 0 Hz to 150 Hz). . Other periodic haptic effects can have haptic frequencies of 75 Hz, 90 Hz, 115 Hz, and 250 Hz, each corresponding to a different sound frequency range in ascending order (in other embodiments, other periodic frequencies are used). be able to). The magnitude of each of these periodic haptic effects can be set to a value proportional to the magnitude of the sound data in the associated frequency range. A moving average of ambient sound level magnitude can be used as the minimum threshold for haptic effect generation. For example, if a sound signal in a particular frequency range has a magnitude that is higher than a threshold, it can be commanded to output a haptic effect associated with that frequency range, or a magnitude above zero level. Can be ordered to have

  Thus, the method presented above varies the magnitude of the five haptic effects based on the corresponding varying magnitude of the sound signal in different frequency ranges represented by the sound data. If some sounds have components in the entire frequency range, this can output five different haptic effects at once. However, many sound features that span several frequency ranges last for a short time, so the user only perceives a short vibration or a series of pulses, not a distortion of different frequencies. Other longer-lasting sound effects can only be concentrated in one or two frequency ranges, so that one or two haptic effects are output simultaneously (the haptic effects in other frequency ranges are of zero magnitude) Is set). Accordingly, the user roughly feels a tactile sense corresponding to the frequency of the sound effect. This is also described in connection with FIG.

  Thus, the haptic sensation amplitude associated with a particular frequency range or band can directly correspond to the magnitude level of the sound signal in that frequency band, as described above. In addition to this continuous haptic output, sudden spikes in the amplitude of the sound signal can be mapped to additional shocks, pulses, or other short powerful haptic sensations that can be superimposed on the continuous vibration sensation.

  In other embodiments, a higher degree of haptic sensation can be output based on the processing and analysis of the sound data in step 210 and based on intelligent heuristics. In many applications, such as games, the type of sound can be determined based on the frequency range in which it is located. This allows for a more sophisticated mapping scheme where completely different haptic sensations can be mapped to different sound frequency ranges. This is also described in connection with FIG.

  For example, in video game applications, weapon firing is often associated with a sudden burst of high frequency sound. Using this literacy as intelligent heuristics, sound output data from the game can be analyzed at step 210 to identify features that indicate that high frequency sound has been output. For example, a specific frequency range can be examined for sudden bursts or spikes in the amplitude of the sound. At step 212, based on the sound burst found in the sound, it can be intelligently instructed to output a haptic sensation associated with weapon firing. In some embodiments, while the sound and haptic sensation are being performed, the haptic sensation can be changed immediately, where the magnitude and duration of the haptic sensation is the size of the sound burst, the duration of the burst And / or continuously adjusted based on the natural frequency components of the burst.

  In some embodiments, for sound features, a completely different haptic profile can be selected based on the details of the sound features, where a pre-programmed mapping between sound characteristics and haptic effects is referenced. (For example, a lookup table or a data table can be stored in memory). For example, sound bursts in very different frequency ranges can trigger totally different haptic sensations. For example, a low frequency sound burst in a video game can be a footstep of one person. Appropriate tactile sensations such as low frequency vibrations or wavy forces can be mapped to the sound features.

  Some games or other programs can output similar sound effects for similar events, allowing approximate mapping as described above. However, other games or programs can associate similarly sounding sounds with different events. Thus, in one embodiment, a particular look-up table or other mapping data can be associated with each individual game (or other application program). Using the table, the method of the present invention identifies on the table which game is running, and then an appropriate mapping between the sound characteristics of that game and the tactile sensation assigned by the author of the table. Can be found. This allows heuristics tailored for a specific game to be adjusted and more accurate mapping to be used. This is advantageous for developers who do not need to incorporate haptic effects or mapping into the game itself and rely on the haptic device manufacturer to produce driver updates that include haptic mapping based on currently available game sound outputs. obtain.

  In an alternative embodiment, the haptic effect associated with the found sound feature is not immediately output to the user as a haptic sensation, but instead stored in memory to form a “tactile profile” for a given sound. This can be used to assist in designing haptic effects. For example, a sound file can be loaded and the user can select a control in the graphical user interface to generate a composite haptic effect corresponding to the sound in the method of the present invention. The generated haptic effect (or haptic magnitude, force value, etc.) can then be used in the program by commanding the generated composite haptic effect. Alternatively, the haptic profile (generated effect) can be a new haptic effect primitive, allowing the developer to generate a new effect based on this primitive. For example, periodic effects, textures, temporary profiles, etc. can be created.

  For example, a game can have hundreds of sound effects. The method of the present invention loads a game sound file and generates haptic effects from sound data in a standardized format (such as an .ifr file used in a protocol created by Immersion Corporation of San Jose, Calif.). Can be directed to. Thus, the developer does not need to manually create each haptic effect, saving a lot of development time. The designer can also review the generated haptic effects and edit them if desired. This is advantageous for developers who want to add code to their game to command the haptic device in a traditional way but do not want to spend a lot of time designing the appropriate haptic effect. is there.

  After the output of the tactile sensation, the method returns to step 206 to check whether additional sound data is received. If so, the next part of the sound data is processed as described above. If no more sound data is received, the process ends at 242 (the next time sound data is output, it starts again).

  FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of step 210 of FIG. 3 where the sound data stored in the buffer is processed and analyzed. The method begins at 270 and at step 272 the stored sound data is passed through a plurality of filters to separate different frequency ranges. For example, when the sound data is divided into five frequency ranges as described in the above example, a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, and three band-pass filters can be used. As an example, the low pass filter can remove all data at frequencies other than 0-170 Hz, the first band pass filter can remove all frequencies other than 170-430 Hz, and the second band The pass filter can remove all frequencies other than 430 Hz to 2 kHz, the third band pass filter can remove all frequencies other than 2 to 10 kHz, and the high pass filter can remove all frequencies lower than 10 kHz. can do.

  At step 274, a moving average of the sound magnitude from each filter output is maintained. This averages the ambient sound output from the computer and allows only sounds above ambient level to trigger a haptic sensation. In the next step 276, the magnitude of the filter output is scaled to the range required by the haptic device 12 being used by the user. Thus, rather than using the actual filter output as in the prior art to generate haptic sensations, new haptic commands and effects are generated based on the filter output.

  In some embodiments, the square of the magnitude of the output of each filter can be scaled. This is more efficient in some embodiments by extracting only the larger peaks or spikes in the sound data for each frequency range and reducing the sustained stuttering / vibration of the device that occurs from too many detected peaks. May be the target.

  In the next step 278, a periodic haptic effect is assigned to the output of each filter. Each periodic effect is assigned a magnitude equal to the scaled magnitude found for each filter. If there is no output in the filter, i.e. no sound in that frequency range is present in the sound data, or if the output of the filter does not exceed a predetermined threshold amplitude, the haptic effect assigned to that frequency range Is assigned a size of zero. Each periodic sensation can have one of five haptic frequencies that have been found to be effective in transmitting the corresponding sound frequency. Such periodic haptics, such as vibrations, are very well suited for tactile devices such as gamepads or mice that provide inertial tactile sensations. Vibration can also be output by a kinematic feedback device. Other types of tactile sensations having a magnitude based on the scaled magnitude determined above may also be output by the kinesthetic device embodiments. The type of haptic sensation assigned can be different in different embodiments, such as pop, impact, jump, damping, etc., and can be output with a size based on the scaled size. For example, mapped haptic effects can be assigned with reference to pre-programmed mappings.

  The method then ends at 280. The assigned periodic haptics can be used in the next step 212 of FIG. 3, where a haptic sensation is output to the user by commanding the haptic feedback device to a haptic effect.

  FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a different embodiment 210 'of step 210 of FIG. 3 where the sound data stored in the buffer is processed and analyzed. The method begins at 290, where a fast Fourier transform (FFT) is performed on the sound data at step 292, and the data is filtered to different frequency components of the frequency spectrum of the data. Each frequency component spans a frequency range based on the number of components output by the FFT and the overall frequency range covered. For example, if the FFT has 512 outputs and the overall frequency range of the sound data is about 22 kHz, each FFT output frequency component has a frequency range of 22 kHz / 512 = about 43 Hz. These frequency components are then grouped and summed to the desired frequency range. For example, to achieve a five frequency range similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4, four components can be combined to cover a first frequency range of 0-170 Hz and six components are 170-430 Hz. The range of 430 Hz to 2 kHz is covered with 37 components, the range of 2 kHz to 10 kHz is covered with 185 components, and the range of 10 to 22 kHz is covered with 256 components. In other embodiments, other frequency ranges and components can be used.

  In the next step 294, the method checks whether any of the frequency ranges grouped in step 292 have a predetermined characteristic. These characteristics are features in the sound data that are significant enough to trigger tactile sensation output. In one embodiment, the average amplitude is maintained for each frequency range and an amplitude spike is searched. If a spike with an amplitude 3-4 times the average amplitude is found, it is considered significant and a haptic effect is assigned to or triggered by the feature.

  If a predetermined characteristic is found, the process proceeds to step 296, assigning haptic effects to those frequency ranges having the predetermined characteristic, the process ends at 298, and the method returns to step 212 of FIG. . If at step 294 no frequency range with the desired characteristics is found, the process ends at 298 and the method returns to step 212 of FIG.

  The haptic effect assigned to the frequency range with the desired characteristics can be of any of several different types and / or have different parameters, with a magnitude proportional to the magnitude of the corresponding sound data There is no need to have. For example, an impact, pulse, or detent can be mapped to any extracted sound feature (such as an increase in amplitude). The magnitude of the shock or detent can be based on the frequency range in which the amplitude spike is found. For example, a high magnitude haptic sensation can be assigned to the low frequency range (or vice versa). Periodic sensation, direction sensation (in the case of a haptic device capable of outputting force in a specific direction with the degree of freedom of the device), jumping sensation, damping sensation, and the like can be mapped to different frequency ranges. In one embodiment, the magnitude of the haptic sensation can be increased in response to increasing sound data amplitude, and then the haptic amplitude can be automatically reduced to zero level. Again, a pre-programmed mapping between sound features and haptic sensations can be referenced.

  The FFT output of the embodiment of FIG. 5 is more efficient than the filter output of the embodiment of FIG. 4 and tends to provide more information. For example, the FFT can provide more detailed frequency information regarding where amplitude spikes occur, phase offsets of waves or features in the sound signal, and the like. Also, the different types of tactile sensation assignments or triggers described above with respect to FIG. 5 can be performed in the embodiment of FIG. 4 and the magnitude of the tactile sensation proportional to the sound amplitude of FIG. Note also that it can be done in

  In some applications, surrounding background sounds such as background music in the game application can be ignored so that only in-game sound effects trigger and output haptic sensations. Often, the magnitude of the sound effect is much higher than the amplitude of the background music, and sound effects above the average amplitude can be found as spikes. In other situations, background music can be ignored and sound effects can be handled by the type of audio data. For example, the background music is in the MIDI format and the sound effect is. If it is a wav file, the MIDI data can be ignored and the wav data can be processed by the present invention to provide a tactile sensation.

  Some embodiments have preferences that can adjust how sound data is analyzed, how haptic effects are assigned, and how haptic sensations are output, e.g., intensity of haptic effects A minimum threshold level of amplitude for recognizing sound features can be entered by the user (eg, so that background music can be better ignored in the game).

  The present invention can also be used in other types of application programs other than games. For example, if a user is touching a haptic device while listening to audio output, the user can experience tactilely audio features such as musical time signature, sustained reverberation, speech features, etc. By adding a haptic sensation to the audio output, the streaming audio user experience can be enhanced. Furthermore, the present invention can also be used for soundtracks that are output together with streaming video over a network such as the Internet.

  While the invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, variations, permutations and equivalents thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification and reviewing the drawings. For example, many different embodiments of haptic feedback devices including joysticks, steering wheels, game pads, and remote controls can be used to output the haptic sensations described herein. Furthermore, the use of specific terminology is for ease of explanation and is not intended to limit the invention.

Claims (15)

Mapping data in which the sound feature and the haptic effect are associated with each other in order to trigger a force that generates the haptic effect based on the sound feature detected from the sound data output from the application program to the computer; In a method executed by a device having a table associated with the application program,
Comprising the steps of storing at least part in a memory buffer of the computer of the sound data, the sound data are analyzed by a processor, wherein the haptic effect is output from the analyzed sound data, comprising the steps,
Dividing at least a portion of the sound data into a plurality of frequency ranges, wherein at least one of the frequency ranges is associated with a periodic haptic effect;
Determining by an analysis by the processor for each of the frequency ranges, at least one to corresponding one or more of the sound features of the frequency range,
Identifying the application program, by the mapping data associated with the identified the application program has been, associated with one or more of the sound features the determined, a step of triggering the execution of at least one of the haptic effect ,
Including a method.   The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the sound data is divided into a plurality of frequency ranges by applying a plurality of filters to the portion of the sound data.   The plurality of filters include at least a low-pass filter and a high-pass filter. The method of claim 2.   The method of claim 2, wherein the analyzing comprises separating the portion of the sound data into a plurality of frequency components associated with a plurality of frequency ranges using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). .   The method of claim 4, wherein a number of multiple outputs from the fast Fourier transform are aggregated to provide associated sound features from the plurality of frequency ranges for each frequency range. One of the haptic effect even without least is mapped in advance to at least one of the sound features, the method of claim 1. For each frequency range, further comprising calculating an average sound magnitude;
1 or more of the sound features the determined, the average has a magnitude of sound above a threshold The method of claim 2 wherein. Mapping data in which the sound feature and the haptic effect are associated with each other in order to trigger a force that generates the haptic effect based on the sound feature detected from the sound data output from the application program to the computer; A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program having code readable by a processor having a table associated with the application program , the code comprising:
A code for storing at least part in a memory buffer of the computer of the sound data, the sound data are analyzed by a processor, wherein the haptic effect is output from the analyzed sound data, and code,
A code that divides at least a portion of the sound data into a plurality of frequency ranges, wherein at least one of the frequency ranges is associated with a periodic haptic effect;
Code for the processor to analyze for each of the frequency range to determine one or more of the sound features corresponding to at least one of said frequency range,
Identifying the application program, by the mapping data associated with the identified the application program has been, associated with one or more of the sound features said determined code to trigger the execution of at least one of the haptic effect A computer readable medium comprising: At least one of the haptic effect associated with at least one frequency component,
The computer readable medium of claim 8.   The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the portion of sound data is divided into a plurality of frequency ranges by applying a plurality of filters to the portion of the sound data.   The computer of claim 10, wherein the code to analyze includes code that separates the portion of the sound data into a plurality of frequency components associated with a plurality of frequency ranges using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). A readable medium. One of the haptic effect even without least is mapped in advance in one of the sound characteristics even without low, claim 8 wherein the computer-readable media. The code for each of said frequency range, further comprising a code for calculating an average of the sound magnitude,
1 or more of the sound features the determined, the average has a magnitude of sound above the threshold, computer-readable medium of claim 8. Mapping data in which the sound feature and the haptic effect are associated with each other in order to trigger a force that generates the haptic effect based on the sound feature detected from the sound data output from the application program to the computer; A device having a table associated with the application program,
And means for storing at least part in a memory buffer of the computer of the sound data, the sound data are analyzed by a processor, and hand stage the haptic effect from the analyzed the sound data is Ru is output,
And means for dividing into a plurality of frequency ranges at least part of the sound data, at least one of said frequency ranges is associated with a periodic haptic effect, and means,
Analyzes for each of the frequency ranges by the processor, means for determining one or more of the sound features corresponding to at least one of said frequency range,
Identifying the application program, by the mapping data associated with the identified the application program has been, associated with one or more of the sound features the determined, and means for triggering the execution of at least one of the haptic effect Including the device. For each of the frequency range, further comprising means for calculating an average of the sound magnitude,
1 or more of the sound features the determined, the average has a magnitude of sound above a threshold The apparatus of claim 14, wherein.

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